Gate extension latch



July 10, 1962 o. T. STONE 3,043,456

GATE EXTENSION LATCH Filed NOV. 18, 1959 INVENTOR O.T.$TONE BYWM v 'ATTORNEY Patented July 10, 1%62 This invention relates to the handling of commodities v of various kinds including the loading, transportation,

unloading, and storage of the same and to the equipment employed in such operations, such as trucks or other vehicles having upright sides or ends which can be raised and lowered.

The invention relates particularly to vehicle bodies with side or end portions, usually referred to as gates, which can be raised and lowered, and having extensions with latches or securing means for fastening such extensions in extended, retracted, or other desired positions.

In the loading and unloading of commodities the truck or other vehicle employed in the transportation of such commodities is located in spaced relation to. a platform or other part of a structure between which and the vehicle commodities sometimes are lost. In order to overcome this problem separate members have been added to provide extensions for the gates in order to bridge the gap between the vehicle and the structure in which the loading is done with the result only partially satisfactory due to the fact that separate extension members sometimes are left behind, lost, or damaged and required time and effort in the use of the same.

It is an object of the invention to provide a gate with an extension capable of being extended or retracted and with latching and locking means which can be readily installed and which automatically will lock the gate in extended, retracted, or in an intermediate position, and which can be operated by the driver of the vehicle with minimum effort and in a minimum of time.

Another object of the invention is to provide latching means for a gate extension with a releasing rod extending forwardly and provided with a handle adjacent the drivers position on the vehicle for easy operation from such location.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective of a truck to which the invention has been applied;

FIG. 2, an enlarged fragmentary perspective illustrating the invention;

FIG. 3, an enlarged fragmentary section on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4, an enlarged fragmentary detail of a portion of the operating structure.

Briefly stated the invention is a latch for the extension of a truck gate by which such extension can be secured in any desired position such as extended, retracted or intermediate position, the latch comprising an actuating rod mounted in guides on the truck gate with one end of the actuating rod pivotally connected to a bell crank latch pivotally mounted on the gate and with a latching extremity or tongue adapted to engage a catch or fixed abutment, on the hinge by which the extension is mounted on the gate, for securing the parts in fixed relation, a spring being provided for automatically biasing the latch toward operative position but subject to release upon retraction by the operator of the truck.

With continued reference to the drawing, a truck is provided having a drivers station 11 and a body 12 with 'a side gate 13 attached to the body by a series of hinges 14, such gate being adapted to be opened and disposed in lowered position for the loading and discharge of the contents or to be disposed in closed or upright position during transportation.

The gate 13 is provided with an extension 15 secured by hinges 16 to the upper frame member 17 of the gate and which constitutes the pin or pivot of the hinges. When the gate is opened or lowered the extension 15 is adapted to be projected and disposed in a substantially horizontal position to provide for the maximum extension of the structure to span the space between the body of the vehicle and the loading structure.

In order to fasten the extension 15 in fixed position the hinges 16 are provided withllatch grooves 18 so that when the ex-tension and the hinges which mount the same are rotated a lacth extremity 19 of a bell crank type of latch 20 secured by a pivot bolt 21 to the gate 13- may enter one of such grooves 18. v

The bell crank latch 20 has connected thereto by means of a bolt 22 the flattened end 26 of an operating rod 24 having a handle 25 which can be grasped for moving the rod endwise for swinging the bell crank lever about its pivot 21 and retracting the latch from the catch grooves 18 of the hinge 16. The operating rod 24 is mounted in guides 26, 217, '28 attached to the gate 13, the rod 24 being provided with a hook 29 and the guide 28 being provided with a corresponding hook 30 between which hooks 29 and 30 a coil spring 31 is interposed. Since the guide 28 is fixed to the gate 13, the spring 31 will tend to move the operating rod' 24 to swing the bell crank with its latch into engagement with the catch portion of the hinge 16 fixed to the extension 15.

The handle 25 is sufiiciently close to the operators station 11 that it can be readily engaged and moved forwardly against the action of the spring 31 to unlatch the gate extension 15 so that it can be moved from a collapsed position shown in FIG. 1 to an extended or other position forming in effect a continuation of the gate as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. Bracket 32 is disposed over the bell crank 20 to insure the retention of the same and to limit its movement.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that a vehicle gate is provided with an extension which may be readily disposed in collapsed or extended position and latching means is provided by which such extension may be received in either of such positions. Also latching means is provided with releasing mechanism which is conveniently located near the drivers position and can be readily operated.

It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is illustrated in the drawing and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus providing an extension for the side gate ofa vehicle and comprising an extension member, hinge means connecting said extension member and the free edge of the side gate, said hinge means having grooves on opposite sides thereof, latch means mounted on said gate and engageable with the grooves of said hinge means for fastening said extension member in retracted inoperative position generally parallel to said gate and in extended operative position forming a continuation of said gate.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which said latch means includes a swingable member pivotally mounted on said gate and an operating member connected to said swingable member for operating said latch means from a remote position.

3. The structure of claim 2 in which said operating member is accessible from the operators station of the vehicle.

(References on following page) Refereme's Cified in the fi1e of this patent. 2,670,217

- a Q 2,768,758- UNITED .aTATLS PATENTS 217979 60 1,677,490 Raney et a1 July 17, 1928 2,452,681 Rehberger Nov. 2, 1948 5 2,538,531 Likens Jan. 16, 1951 456,654

7 v 4 Hruza. Feb. 23, 1954 French Oct. 30, 1956 Endres et a1. July 2, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS Canada May 17, 1949 

